Volume 5: The Age of Storms Chapter 0627: The Art of Controlling People
The area of Flint Island is not large, and there are not many flat areas on the island that can be used to build houses. Most areas have protruding rocks and depressions, and the scenery is only average. When the tide is low, some small stone islands and puddles will be exposed, and you can pick up some stranded fish and shellfish from them.
A few decades later, this place is very suitable for wild survival hosts to use it as a filming location. They can shoot on the cliff side and look for resources on the other side. There, they can not only pick up wild domestic chickens, but also wild fried rice. There are also wild women, quite a few of them, but they are a little ugly.
Because the sea area here used to be the British army's artillery training area and was off-limits to outsiders, it is rarely visited and there is no household garbage to be seen, but there are some shell fragments to be found.
Climbing to a high place and looking into the distance, Nan Yi looked at the scattered small islands in the northwest direction. This is a good hiking route.
"Dad, this place can be developed into a hiking tourist area." The little girl imitated Nan Yi and said after observing for a while.
"People have nothing better to do than to develop a hiking tourist area. Hikers mostly choose to pitch tents to stay overnight. We can't earn any money from accommodation. Do you see those two nodes?" Nan Yi said, pointing in two directions.
“Yes.”
“Starting from the point on the right, to where we are now, it is a moderately difficult hiking route, suitable for most hiking enthusiasts; reaching the point on the left halfway, according to the physical fitness of ordinary hikers, takes exactly half a day, and they will rest and eat there.
It's not suitable to build a house there, and it's impossible to open a small restaurant. Besides, for hiking, if we go to a restaurant for lunch to resupply, the meaning of the hike will be lost, and we won't be able to earn money for the meal.
Since we can't even earn enough money for food and accommodation, we can only charge entrance fees and boat tickets. The scenery here is not very beautiful, so we can't charge too high for the entrance fees. Five to ten Hong Kong dollars is a reasonable price, not to mention the boat tickets, which can be calculated based on the nautical miles, so they can't be too expensive.
The money received from these two items is not enough to cover daily maintenance costs.
Add to that the fact that some inexperienced and self-righteous hikers may get into trouble, and we need to prepare one or two search and rescue teams, supporting medical staff, and even a medical helicopter. When we add up all these expenses, we can only lose money.”
Nan Yi was once a hiking enthusiast. He couldn't know the consumption habits of this type of people very well, but he knew roughly that, apart from the money for purchasing equipment, the biggest expenses were travel expenses and guide fees.
It is difficult for tourist attractions to earn their money.
"What about paid rescue?"
"First, it's not morally justifiable. Second, not all hikers are rich and may not be able to afford the rescue fee. Moreover, if we charge a fee, it becomes our obligation to save the lives of those in distress. If we are unlucky and get sued two or three times, the deal will be ruined."
Nan Yi touched Nan Ruoyin's head and said, "Okay, stop worrying about it. Let's go back and eat grilled oysters. Little girl, after your financial freedom, you now have the freedom to eat oysters. If you can eat seven or eight tons a day, dad can afford it."
"Hehe, Dad, according to what you said, there are not many things that we are not free to do when it comes to eating." Nan Ruoyin said with a laugh.
"That's right."
Nan Yi held Nan Ruoyin in his arms and walked towards the camping site of the base. It took them more than ten minutes to reach the campfire. The people at the base were already grilling various seafood there. These were all prepared for Nan Yi and his group. For the people at the base, seafood was not as economical as some pickles.
Nan Yi took a geoduck from the charcoal fire and bit it, then called Wu Ganghou to his side.
"Ganghou, tell me about the situation."
Wu Ganghou said: "Nansheng, the off-site breeding experiment of Belon oysters is not very ideal. The survival rate is not high and the growth rate is very slow. According to the test results, when the oysters mature, the taste and nutritional value are not as good as those farmed at the Belon estuary."
"Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are tangerines. It is normal for Belon oysters to be unable to adapt to their original living environment. I never expected to succeed in one go.
Let me tell you a little story. On the African savannah, elephant poaching is rampant. The price of ivory has been rising again and again. The number of elephants has dropped sharply in recent years. In order to survive, the elephants have forced themselves to undergo a genetic mutation. The tusks of newborn elephants are no longer as long as those of their ancestors.
If poaching cannot be effectively controlled, elephants may be left without ivory in the future.
Living is the instinct of all living things, including elephants and oysters. The elephant pushed itself and succeeded, but the oyster may not be able to change on its own, so we can help it.
Ganghou, don't be anxious, I have patience. I can wait for one, two, three, five years.
Whether it is oysters, gooseneck barnacles or yellow croaker, I initiated the domestication and breeding plan with a fluke mentality. It doesn’t matter even if it fails in the end, as long as it allows me to understand how the money was lost.
Tell me how the eel fry research is going."
"Nansheng, the results are not ideal. The life history of eels is too special and it is difficult to simulate in an artificial environment."
"Difficult? Not impossible?"
"Yes, it can be done, but I have calculated that even if it is cultivated on a large scale, the cost of each eel fry will exceed HK$240, and the survival rate should be less than 1/5."
"You mean, the final cost of the eel fry harvested will be spread out to 1,200 Hong Kong dollars?"
Wu Ganghou nodded, "Yes."
“What percentage does labor cost account for?”
“It can be ignored.”
Nan Yi thought for a moment and said, "Reduce the scale of the experiment, cut costs, and continue. I want to see what 1,200 eel fry look like. Fang Kong, set a budget of 10 million for Gang Hou."
"clear."
"OK."
"Ganghou, go eat first. I'll talk to Fang Kong." Nan Yi sent Wu Ganghou away, and sat in the corner with Fang Kong, carrying the plate.
"Nansheng, since the establishment of Jiangshang Fisheries, all the surplus from fishing revenues, minus necessary expenses, has been used for expansion. Jiangshang currently owns 57 tuna purse seine fishing vessels, 12 ocean-going fishing vessels, 73 offshore squid fishing vessels, 8 ocean-going squid fishing vessels, 62 shrimp trawlers, and we also have 7 king crab fishing vessels in Alaska.
As of today, Jiangshang Fisheries has a total debt of HK$329.5 million. It plans to pay off half of the debt this year and the remaining half before the middle of 1988.
"Um."
Nan Yi was very clear about the income and expenditure of Jiang Shang Fisheries, so there was no need for him to ask in detail. In the three years since its establishment, Jiang Shang would buy ships when he had money, and borrow money from the bank when he had no money. He always maintained a cycle of borrowing and repaying, and never stopped expanding.
"New high-performance fish finders have been launched, and we should replace them if necessary. We cannot rely on experience and luck alone to catch fish, but also on science. Jiangshang Fisheries' fishing boats must keep up with the latest technology."
"I will arrange for someone to buy two and test them first. If the performance is high and stable, all fishing boats will be installed with them this year." Fang Kong nodded and said.
"Well, I still say the same old thing. Jiangshang Fishery must gradually transition from quantity to quality, and from east to west. In fifteen years, Jiangshang Fishery's base will move from Asia to Europe and America." Nan Yi said, and suddenly asked: "Have the number of family-killing nets at sea increased?"
"Not only the family-killing nets, but also the electric grids have been used. Nansheng, the fishermen in the mainland are eating in an ugly way. They are fishing in a confined pond."
"Haha, there are a lot of fish in the sea, right?"
"There are quite a few, but they can't stand the brunt of the situation. There are too many people who don't follow the rule of catching the big ones and letting the small ones go."
Nan Yi patted Fang Kong on the shoulder and said, "We can't control what others do. We just need to be ourselves and stop playing with them.
By the way, it’s time to change your shares. I will give you another 0.5%, and your shares will become 1.7%. The dividends will remain as before, and you will get them at a ratio of 1.5 times.
Haha, talking about dividends seems a bit redundant, you haven't received a penny."
"My salary is enough for me to spend. I'm not in any hurry for dividends. I'm confident that in five years, I'll be able to get over 100 million in dividends every year." Fang Kong said confidently.
"It's good that you have confidence. A fortress often begins to collapse from the inside. It doesn't matter if the people on the ship bring some duty-free goods, or even some smuggled goods, as long as they are not excessive, you can pretend not to see them, but if they shouldn't touch it, don't let them touch it.
Especially when it comes to helping people escape, if anyone breaks the law, no matter who it is, there will be no mercy and they will be fired directly. I don’t want the police to come to the company and question people.”
"Understood. I will definitely be strict with you."
Nan Yi patted Fang Kong's shoulder again and said meaningfully: "Let bygones be bygones. In the future, you must strictly follow the company's rules and regulations. Okay, there are so many seafoods. I will go back and enjoy them slowly."
Fang Kong recruited a lot of Tanka people, some of whom were related to him. Fang Kong had a cousin who was not very honest. He had a gang background and had helped someone escape before.
Fortunately, the person who ran away offended the gang, not the police. Nan Yi knew it but pretended not to know. The first offense could be forgiven, but the second offense would not be as simple as expulsion.
Management is difficult, and different people need to be dealt with in different ways. Some can be dealt with lightly and carefully, while others need to be criticized from time to time. It is not the case that people's hearts will be stable if they are paid enough.
People will fall into their comfort zone and will also feel bored with their current environment. Coupled with the "deservedness theory", a person's work ability is worth 5,000, but he is given 8,000. After a short period of gratitude, he will think that 8,000 is what he deserves and he is worth 8,000. The next step is to think about 10,000 or 12,000.
When the ability does not increase but the ambition increases dramatically, and when the ambition is far greater than the ability, this person will not be very useful and cannot be of great use.
Nan Yi will not treat unfairly those who make money for him, but the execution of "not treating unfairly" requires skill and is very complicated. It cannot be solved by simply saying "high salary".
The Nan family's foundation is not stable enough, and it is not yet time to fully implement the pyramid structure management model. The derogatory term "doing everything myself" will have to continue to run through Nan Yi's life. Nan Yi may not necessarily need to participate in the details personally, but he can persuade and win over people from the top all the way to the front line.
Back at the campfire, Nan Ruoyin handed a roasted black lobster to Nan Yi, "Dad, I roasted it for you. It's delicious."
Nan Yi took the lobster, sighed and said, "Ruoyin, Dad is still young. If you want to live a few more years, don't hold back and try to poison me to death."
"Humph, I didn't."
"You're still saying no. I remember you could cook on the stove when you were five years old. Now you're ten years old. Can you roast a lobster into charcoal?" Nan Yi broke open the lobster shell and saw that the meat inside had turned pitch black. He couldn't help but shook his head.
"Eating raw seafood can easily cause diarrhea. I roasted it just for dad's sake. Dad, you still want to wrongly accuse me, wuwuwu..." Nan Ruoyin rubbed her eyes and pretended to cry.
"Cry, as long as you cry, I will eat it." Nan Yi said, pointing at the lobster.
“Hehehe, I can’t cry.” Nan Ruoyin smiled and said seriously, “Other fathers will be very happy when they can eat what their daughters cook, no matter how bad it tastes. Dad, you should do the same.”
"Well, I'll happily beat you up later." Nan Yi used a knife to cut off the burnt lobster meat, dug out the tender meat inside and put it into his mouth, "Next time if you waste food, I'll really beat you up. If we sell this lobster, we can at least earn back 15 Hong Kong dollars.
You should really go to Africa and see that for a bite of food, a child younger than you will become a murderer. At the age of six or seven, he can carry an AK-47 to fight, and his tactical moves are more beautiful than yours. "
Nan Ruoyin curled her lips and said, "I don't believe it. Children will only be used as cannon fodder. It's enough for them to know how to shoot. Who would train them carefully?"
"Don't disbelieve me. The rebels in Sierra Leone have two scouts. The leader of one of them is only two years older than you. He has become a feared sniper who kills people without being seen. He can take the head of a person from 800 miles away with an SVD and can run an armed cross-country race of 5 kilometers in less than 10 minutes."
"Dad, you are fooling me again . You can say that SVD is a missile. I believe it can run 800 miles. But I don't believe it can run 5 kilometers in less than 10 minutes, unless it is not a human."
Nan Yi snorted twice, "Little girl, don't disbelieve me, there are many mysterious places in this world. Dad knows a mysterious area where the per capita assets are over 10 billion, and there are tens of millions of people who can run 5 kilometers in less than 5 minutes.
There are two most powerful people there, one is called Hypothesis and the other is called If. It was If that gave my father his first pot of gold.
I remember one day, this guy found me, showed me a photo, and said to me: "If I give you 5 million and the beauty in the photo, which one would you choose?"
As soon as my father heard this, he knew that Ruo had more than 5 million in his hands. He made up his mind and took out the gold that he had treasured on his knees for 16 years to cash it in. In this way, my father got his first pot of gold from Ruo, which was as much as 50 million.
"Is there really such a place?" Nan Ruoyin's cunning eyes flashed across her face.
“Yes.”
"real?"
"Dad won't lie to you."
"Oh, what's this place called?"
"If he warned me, he said that I was not allowed to tell this place to a little brat named Nan Ruoyin."
"Dad, you are getting better and better at making up stories. Later I want to hear you tell me a story about Queen Nan Ruoyin to put me to sleep." Nan Ruoyin chuckled and said, "If you don't tell me, I won't sleep."
